Job stress, eating habits and abdominal obesity in nutritionists during the COVID-19 pandemic

Soto-Pascual M.; Alvarado-Ortiz C.; Ignacio-Cconchoy F.L.; Núñez-Barrón C.C.; Panduro-Vásquez G.N. · Revista Cubana de Investigaciones Biomedicas (2025)

Resumen

Introduction: Job stress is defined as a set of emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physiological reactions in response to adverse and harmful events in the work environment, organization and work tasks. Objective: To evaluate the association of work stress with healthy eating habits and abdominal obesity in nutritionists during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru. Methods: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted in nutritionists from three referral hospitals in Lima during the onset of the third wave of COVID-19. Job stress was assessed with the instrument validated by the International Labor Organization and the World Health Organization. A scale was created and validated to assess healthy eating habits. Abdominal obesity was calculated according to the cut-off points of the International Diabetes Federation. The association between work stress and healthy eating habits was determined with simple linear regression models, while generalized linear Poisson family models were used to establish the relationship with abdominal obesity. Results: 87 nutritionists were analyzed, 75.86 % were women with a mean age of 41 (33-50) years. Abdominal obesity was observed in a frequency of 51.72 %. Job stress was not associated with healthy eating habits (βa: 2.39; 95 % CI:-5.19 to 9.97; p = 0.531) nor with the presence of abdominal obesity (RPa: 1.01; 95 % CI: 0.69-1.47; p = 0.972). Conclusions: Nutritionists surveyed during the COVID-19 pandemic expressed no relationship between job stress and healthy eating habits or the presence of abdominal obesity. Further research is needed to explore other factors that may contribute to the development of abdominal obesity in this population.

Instituciones: Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola